Am I Going Crazy?
by Lunarstar042713
Summary: Leo thinks he might be going crazy. After Nemesis tells him to break Calypso's heart and never seeing her again in order to free her, he locks himself in and won't come out. His friends have given up, all but one. Now Leo's feeling drawn to her. He won't let anything take her away from him, no matter what the cost. M for murder, language, ect. NO Lemons. Viria's art
1. Behind Locked Doors

**I'm not sure if this is a prologue or something but I felt sad today so I wrote and this came out. Alright I was listening to this song and it inspired me... Starts kinda Angst-ty and not sure if it'll continue to be that.**

**~Melissa L.**

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><p>Leo was sure he wasn't insane. There was just no way. Sure he was still depressed about the bargain he'd made with the gods. Nemesis, herself, told him that in order for Calypso to be free, he had to break her heart one last time and never see her again. He knew it was the right thing to do and he had to keep his promise. It hurt him to say those horrible things to her, to watch her cry, to walk away knowing that he would live the rest of his days with Calypso thinking what a horrible monster he was.<p>

He locked himself in his room in the Argo II every night after the seven had defeated Gaea and her giants. Everyone tried to get him out of there. Leo always ignore their muffled voices that were coming from the other side of the locked door. Jason had tried to break the door down, Percy had tried to flood Leo's room, Piper even tried to charmspeak him into coming out but Leo had thought of everything. He made the room one hundred percent impenetrable from any magic powers, which included Piper's voice. Frank tried ramming the door down with whatever creature he turned into. Even Nico tried to shadow travel in his room and drag him out if he had to.

Leo had made himself a magical barrier. He just didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Was that too hard to ask? He always sat in the very corner of his bed, curled up and remembering his time in Calypso's island. He still remembered the feel of Calypso's lips on his and how she told him it never happened, but it did. He didn't cry anymore. He didn't want to anymore. It was like he was in this depressed state where he didn't feel anything. He felt weightless, like a leaf being blown against his will by the wind into the cruel world, not knowing when it'll end.

After months of this (Leo had kept himself fed, thanks to his tool belt), his friends finally gave up on trying to get him out.

"He'll have to come out someday," Leo heard Jason say through the door.

"What if he doesn't?" asked Piper. Leo heard nothing after that. He felt relieved, angry, and even more sad than ever. He felt relieved because his friends were finally giving up. Leo also had contradicting feelings, like anger and sadness. They just stopped trying just like that. It was like they finally gave up on trying to fix a machine that hadn't been working in a while so they tossed it away.

Three weeks passed since Leo was in complete silence. No one came that whole time. No knocks on the door. No angry or pleading voices came. It was just him. Leo had thought about suicide but he'd really didn't see the point of it. Although it was starting to be more tempting ever since he was completely alone.

_You will always be an outsider. You will not find a place among you brethren_, Nemesis' words echoed in his aching head. Leo was starting to think that Nemesis had been right. Leo couldn't help but feel pure hatred and resentment towards the goddess of revenge. It was her who did this to him. If she had just minded her own business then-

"Then you'd still be trapped in that basement in Rome," the voice in the back of his head said.

Leo sighed as he looked around his bare room. After months inside, he wanted some comfort or at least someone to tell him everything was going to be okay. He didn't care that it was a lie. He just wanted to hear someone. Maybe he was going insane. Being alone in here must've not been good for him, but he wasn't coming out. There was nothing to go back to. His friends had abounded him, the only girl who loved him was somewhere far away, cursing his name, and his mother was dead.

"Maybe," Leo whispered to himself, "Being alone is better."

* * *

><p><em>That's it!<em> Leo thought, _I don't want to be here anymore_. A month in complete silence was frustrating. Leo didn't want to go back and he didn't want to stay here either. He saw only one way out. Leo went to his drawer, where he kept his clothes. He dug around, under clothes until he found the dagger he had saved in case there was an attack when he was sleeping back when they were going to Greece. How ironic it was that he was going to kill himself by using the weapon that he put here to save his life in the first place. He wondered what dying would feel like. Surely, not too painfully. There was no going back. He sat on the edge of his bed. Leo rolled up his sleeves and carefully positioned the sharp blade on his vein. He was just about to cut his skin when he heard footsteps coming from the hall.

Leo, surprised, dropped the dagger and it clattered to the floor. He stayed very still as the footsteps continued on their steady rhythm, becoming louder and louder. Maybe whoever it was out there hadn't heard the dagger. Leo waited until the footsteps stopped. They had, outside his door. Leo felt a pang of joy suddenly hit him, but it died out instantly._ After two months, now they decided to show up?_ Leo thought bitterly. Leo slowly walked towards the door, curious of who it was. He pressed his right ear to the door. He heard the person sigh.

"Leo, are you in there?" asked Hazel. Leo didn't answer. "I know you probably think that we don't want you anymore," Leo felt anger resurface, "But we...I hoped that you would come out if we left you alone for a little bit. Jason and Piper thought to try one more time and they failed, obviously," That almost made Leo smile. Hazel paused for a second. Leo pressed his ear more to the door. Being alone with only his thoughts made him want to hear someone else really badly.

"I'm sorry about what happened with...Calypso," Leo's eyes watered at the sound of her name. If that's all Hazel was going to talk about, then he didn't want to listen. "Leo, please come out. I know what it's like to lose someone you...love. I just don't want you to spend the rest of your life in there. People move on. We'll still have them in our memories." Leo stayed silent. Tears started running down his face, but he didn't wipe them away. He was too concentrated on every word Hazel was saying.

"So, will you come out?" She asked. Leo was suddenly confused on what he wanted. Should he leave or stay? Leo remained quiet. After a long moment of silence, he heard Hazel crying.

"Okay, Leo. If that's what you want then fine!" She screamed angrily. Leo could hear the undertone of sadness and worry. "If you want to rot in there than fine by me!" Leo flinched at her angry remarks. Another moment of silence. Hazel took a deep breath.

"So is this goodbye?" She whispered. More silence, "Then bye Leo." She started to slowly walk away.

"Don't leave," Leo's voice cracked a bit from not using it in so long. Hazel's footsteps stopped instantly. Then she hurried back to the door.

"What did you say?" she asked, a bit alarmed.

"Please don't leave me..." Leo whispered. He felt the doorknob turning, but it was locked.

"Aren't you going to open the door?" Hazel asked.

"I don't know if I should." Leo moistened his lips, "I don't know if I can go back out there."

"You have a family here, Leo. You have Percy, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, you siblings, heck, you have lots of people," Hazel started rattling off names that Leo hadn't thought of in a while. He didn't answer, not really knowing what to say. "And you have me. We're connected, remember?"

"Maybe I'm not ready to come out yet," Leo said carefully, not wanting for Hazel to have another outburst. He waited for her to say something.

"Alright, Leo. Take all the time you need," she finally said.

"Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you come again tomorrow? It gets kind of lonely here?" The word had come out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"Okay. I'll come same time tomorrow."

"Could you please keep this between us? I think I feel more comfortable talking to you alone."

"Why?" Leo could hear her confusion.

"Just like you said. We're connected," Leo answered.

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><p>I don't know if I should continue this. It was just some random idea that popped in my head.<p>

~Melissa L.


	2. Secret Meetings

**Kinda had to introduce the character, David and his relationship with Hazel because he will be an important part of the story later on. Just bear with me. Horror starts in a little bit. Maybe in the next chapters, still establishing plot, here...**

**~Melissa L.**

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><p>Hazel was relieved to have finally gotten Leo to listen to her. She was glad to hear his voice again after all this time. Calypso must've meant a lot to him, but Hazel didn't understand why she was worth locking himself for months in his room. Hazel wasn't going to push him into giving him answers, though because she had to take baby steps. She did as she promised. She never told anyone of her sneaking at night to go talk to Leo. She especially never told Frank.<p>

She liked the rush she got as the days ended and her visits with Leo neared. She would tip toe out of the Hades Cabin and quietly climb the rope ladder of the Argo II. Festus never raised the alarm because he knew of Hazel's secret visits and she thanked him for it. He must've understood that Leo was broken and needed fixing. Every night, she would lean against the door and she would talk about what she did during the day. She had learned that he liked her doing most of the talking. When she stopped, he would ask her questions to keep her talking.

"Why do you like to hear me talk, Leo?" She asked him one night. She waited patiently for an answer. Leo always took a moment to answer her questions.

"I think it's because I like your voice. I don't know, my voice must be annoying," Did he just make a joke? It had been months since she'd heard him crack a joke. Without meaning to, she giggled.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing. Sorry, it's just that you hadn't said any of your corny jokes in so long," she explained. She calmed down.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope you don't mind me asking but...never mind," she regretted even trying to ask him about Calypso. That was definitely a don't-bring-that-up-or-he-will-shut-down-again warning sign.

"What?" He asked.

"I don't want to make you sad again," she whispered.

"Is it a question about..."

"You can't even say her name. Let's just forget I asked you anything," Hazel wanted nothing more than to go back to just talking about how Annabeth had explained to her more technology like the laptop and how fascinated she was than get Leo in a sour mood.

"Just ask or I'll be thinking about it all night," Leo said.

Hazel sighed, "Okay but you told me to ask you. I was just going to ask why...why Calypso means so much to you?" Leo stayed silent for a while. Hazel started counting in her head. When Leo really didn't want to answer a question, he'd be silent for more than thirty seconds. Hazel got to 22 when he finally spoke.

"I guess it's because...she was the first girl who loved me," He said softly. Hazel felt a bit offended at how Leo said Calypso was the FIRST to love him. What did he know? She wanted to argue but bit her tongue. She already had a boyfriend and it wasn't any of her business who Leo loved, but something made her speak.

"Hazel? Are you still there?" Leo asked.

"Yes. I was just thinking that you must really be that dense," Hazel said.

"Dense? What do you mean?" he asked, clearly confused at Hazel's statement.

"For all you know, there could've been a girl that loved you way before Calypso and you just didn't notice or she hid her feelings."

"Maybe but Calypso was the first girl that ever kissed me and...it felt...special." Hazel couldn't shake off a very familiar feeling of jealousy that she'd had been enduring since she'd figured out Leo had fallen for another girl back on their way to the Doors of Death. Only this time, it felt sharper on her chest.

"Well, that's nice," she said, not knowing she let a bit of her sarcasm escape her lips. "I think I should go, it's getting late," she got up and dusted herself off.

"Okay, bye Haze," Leo said. Hazel fought back the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach that she liked to feel when Leo called her that.

She smiled, "Good night Leo," and she sneaked back to the Hades cabin.

* * *

><p>She quietly slid into the room from the open window she left open.<p>

"So where were you?" Hazel gasped and looked into the dark room. It was mostly black so Hazel could barely see anything. Then Hazel's beside lamp turned on and it illuminated Nico's pale face.

"I was just...stretching my legs, you know. Getting some fresh air," Hazel lied. Nico didn't look convinced.

"In the middle of the night?" He asked.

"Well...hey wait just a second! What are you doing up anyway?" Hazel asked her fourteen year old brother.

"You aren't as quiet as you think you are," He smiled slightly, "I'm a light sleeper." Hazel had been caught.

"Please don't tell anyone," Hazel pleaded.

"I won't if you tell where you were," Nico said.

Hazel bit her bottom lip like she always did when she was nervous. She had gotten the habit to do that which was a dead give-away. "I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't tell."

"Fine. I have no choice but to tell Frank," Nico said cooly.

"NO!" Hazel shut her mouth with her hands. She hoped she hadn't woken anyone else up. "You can't tell him," Hazel continued in a whisper.

"Why can't I?"

"Please Nico. Just trust me." Nico looked at her for a long time. He studied her face.

"Okay." he finally said. Hazel felt so relieved that she hugged him.

"Oof! Alright, let go before I change my mind," Nico said. Hazel let go. "Let's go to sleep and next time, don't make too much noise when you leave, shadow traveling would be much quieter and faster." Hazel gave him a look that said, _Seriously? You know I can't shadow travel._

* * *

><p>Hazel couldn't believe that she had gotten caught. She had taken many precautions, but she guessed that nothing got passed her brother. She was walking from sword training to go meet up with Frank. She came across David Jones, the most obnoxious child of Ares (yes, this guy was Greek) Hazel had ever met.<p>

"Hey sweetheart. Glad I found you. I was wondering where you'd ran off to." He said coyly.

"David, I already told you it's not going to happen. Ever. I'm dating Frank, who can turn into a bear and maul you alive," Hazel warned.

"Then dump the idiot already and there won't be anything to stop us," He pulled her to him, placing his hands firmly on her waist.

"You're in my personal space," Hazel said and managed to slap his hands away from her and walked away, but she knew it was useless to walk away from the stalker that followed your every move during the day.

"Why do you like Frank so much?" David asked.

"He's more of a man than you are," Hazel replied coldly.

"Ouch, that hurt," he mocked. "But seriously, you must feel something. I mean you hadn't told him about me," and it was true that Hazel never mentioned David to Frank and she never gave him a second thought when she was talking to Leo. David was her problem and she could deal with it.

"I don't need to tell Frank everything. He doesn't own me," Hazel said curtly and kept walking, not even giving David a second glance.

"Hell yeah, he does. It's like you're his dog on a leash," David said, "You do everything he says. It's like your his personal slave."

"And you think I'd be better off with you?" She had meant it as a rhetorical question but of course David answered it anyway.

"I don't think. I know," he said and with one smooth move, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, which she quickly shoved off him.

"Like I haven't heard that one before," Hazel said sarcastically.

"Just trying to open your eyes, Haze," he said.

"My eyes are open and I see a slimy snake and don't ever call me Haze again," Hazel said angrily. David just sneered at her.

"Why can't I call you Haze, Haze? Does your 'master' call you that? Is that your pet name to him?" He asked, referring to Frank.

"None of your business," She finally said and ran to the Pavilion where she was going to meet Frank.

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><p>"And then the idiot tells me I'd be better off with him than Frank! Can you believe that?" Hazel was once again talking to Leo on the Argo II. She had been so frustrated with David that she had to tell someone.<p>

"The guy sounds like a complete asshole," Leo said.

"He is. I can't believe he won't just leave me alone," Hazel complained.

"Maybe you should tell Frank."

"What, you think I can't handle this on my own?"

"Just a suggestion. Not talking to him at all and completely ignoring him could work...Or do the exact opposite."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, sometimes guys want what they can't have. It just makes them more determined to get you."

"Why are guys so stupid?"

"I don't really know. Maybe it's the challenge or something like that." Then there was silence. Hazel had to think of something to say before this turned awkward.

"So...are you ever going to come out of there?" She asked.

"Should I?"

"I think you should. It must be frustrating to be in there all alone."

"Maybe, but here...it's safe."

"What are you talking about?!" Hazel couldn't believe what she was hearing, "The camp is safe!"

"I meant that my heart is safe here. Being alone reassures that I won't get hurt by anyone anymore."

"But you're not really alone," Hazel argued.

"I know. I have you," Leo said. Hazel felt butterflies erupt in her stomach and her heart race. She calmed down and pushed those feelings aside.

"So, y-you must trust me," Hazel stuttered.

"I guess." Hazel was, for once, speechless. "Bye Leo," she said.

"Bye Hazel..."


	3. The Promise

**Ok, I'm sorry there has been more Angst and romance than horror so I apologize. The horror will start after this chapter, probably. Enjoy this anyway.**

**~Melissa L.**

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><p>Leo was having second thoughts on staying here. Maybe Calypso had gotten over him. She fell in love with many guys anyway, right? She probably already found another lover somewhere. She was a goddess so she had an eternity to get over him. Leo didn't know where these thoughts were coming from. He foun himself thinking these things more often, although he didn't know how he felt anymore either.<p>

Was he still in love with her? The same question kept appearing in his mind every time he thought of Calypso, which was most of the time. Leo also found himself thinking of Hazel more and more often. He hadn't forgotten how she looked. Her curly caramel hair, her chocolate skin._ No_, Leo thought, _You've already gone through that before. Frank is still her boyfriend._

Jealously and anger exploded throughout his whole body for the son of Mars. He felt his temperature rise and his vision fogged up a bit. Leo shook his head to clear it and realized his whole being was surrounded by flames. He quickly extinguished them. It wasn't fair. Zhang had everything Leo wanted. He had an important role, he was Praetor. He was given recognition for helping to stop Gaea, which Leo didn't understand because he was sure he had sacrificed, done so much more than he had. And most of all, he had someone to love and care for.

Why didn't Leo have anything? Leo didn't think he would hate someone as much as he hated Gaea, who pretty much ruined his childhood with killing his mother. Leo sighed, calming himself down because he felt his temperature rise again. Then there was Hazel. Why did she have to play with his feelings like that? Leo half wished he'd never met her, but the other half wanted her to never leave his side.

Leo wondered if he was falling for Hazel again. Sure the whole Sammy thing really complicated things but now Leo didn't care. Hazel was just so easy to talk to, especially when she did most of the talking. She came and talked to him when Leo almost did the unthinkable. Leo was really thankful for that, so in a way, she had saved his life.

"Hazel Levesque," he said softly into the darkness. He liked the way her name sounded. Leo was still wondering about what Hazel had said. Had there really been a girl who loved him before Calypso? He secretly hoped that Hazel meant her, but that was highly unlikely. She had the 'Great Praetor Zhang' for a boyfriend. Why would she want Leo?

Maybe he could win her heart. Leo chuckled at that stupid thought but he couldn't help but wonder if he could do it. There was that guy David to worry about, too. Leo figured he couldn't really do anything while being trapped in here. He wouldn't let anything stop him from getting Hazel. He couldn't let that happened again. Not like it did with Calypso. Something in Leo had snapped.

"I promise on the river of Styx," Leo whispered, determined. He was not coming in last place, not this time.

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><p>The hours dragged by while Leo waited impatiently for Hazel to come back, like he always did. He played with the wires in his hands and turned them into different shapes. He was going to open the door. He was actually going to come out. He wondered if his friends would be mad at him but Leo was more concerned with Hazel and his plan to win Hazel's heart. He finally heard her footsteps echo through the hall. He sat in front of the door while Hazel made her way to the door.<p>

"Hey Leo," she said, "Guess what?"

"What is it?" Leo asked. She sounded happy about something. Hazel started talking about how she finally got what an iPhone was and how she was going to get one as soon as the Hephaestus and Vulcan cabin figured out a way to make it so that monsters can't track them.

"But I'm sure you would've figured that out by now, Leo," Hazel said.

"Maybe," Leo responded.

"I know you would. You can fix anything," Hazel said confidently. Leo wasn't so sure but he let her think that.

"Hazel, hypothetically, if I did come out, do you think that Jason, Piper and the others would be mad at me for worrying them?"

"No," Hazel answered quickly, "They would be happy to see their friend again. They haven't forgotten you, Leo."

"And if I did come out, you would still keep me company?" He asked.

"Yes, of course."

"And you would be with me no matter what, right?" Hazel paused for a moment.

"Always."

"Do you care about me, Hazel?" Leo could feel tears threatening to fall.

"I do care about you, Leo. More than you know," Hazel whispered. That was all Leo needed to hear. Leo got up and stretched out his hand to the door knob. He made it so that only he could open the door when he wanted to. He placed his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it. Then he opened the door.

The first thing Leo saw were Hazel's golden eyes almost shining in the darkness. She was wearing a purple shirt and shorts, nothing special. Her curls framed her face perfectly. She was on the floor, looking up at him as if she couldn't believe that he had opened the door. Leo felt himself getting warmer and his heartbeat started accelerating. He controlled his temperature because the last thing he needed was to burst into flames. He gave Hazel his usual impish grin.

"Nice to see you again, Hazel," He said. Hazel choked back a sob. She stood up quickly and wrapped her arms around his neck. Leo automatically put his arms around her waist. The smell of her hair was intoxicating. it smelled of cinnamon, just like Leo thought it would. Hazel held him tightly.

"I'm glad you decided to come back," she whispered on his shoulder. Leo hadn't noticed before but he was hungry for human touch that he had deprived himself of. He didn't let go of Hazel for a long time. It didn't look like Hazel minded, though. Leo finally let go.

"Come on," Hazel grabbed his hand, "Let's go tell the others." She started to pull him but Leo resisted. Hazel looked at him worriedly.

"Hazel, we can't tell them now," Leo said.

"What do you mean? I mean, you just got out and-" Leo cut her off.

"It's the middle of the night," Leo said.

"Oh, right. So I guess you're going to have to stay here one more night, unless you want to wake up your half siblings."

"I don't want to bother anyone...yet."

"So you're staying here?" Leo looked back at his bare room. He didn't feel too thrilled to go back in there now that he was out.

"I guess," he muttered.

"Then I'll come early to get you," Hazel promised and started to walk away. Leo caught her hand.

"Wait. Can you...stay with me for just tonight?" He asked. Hazel didn't say anything for a while. She looked like she was weighing her consequences carefully.

"Okay, Leo. Just for tonight," she smiled up at him with her enticing eyes. He gently pulled her in his room. Nothing happened. Hazel made sure of it. She clearly said for Leo to sleep on the left side of the bed and she would sleep on the right side. Leo followed her rule obediently. He lied down on his side, looking at Hazel falling asleep. A strand of hair had fallen on her face and Leo reached to brush it off. Then Hazel grabbed his warm hand.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Nothing," he replied. Leo felt a bit embarrassed that he had gotten caught. Hazel smiled at him. She didn't let go of his hand. That only reenforced his determination to make Hazel fall in love with him. Leo wasn't going to give up so easily.


	4. Are You Staring at Me?

**I literally have too much time on my hands. So here I am. Where's the horror start, you might ask. It has to be in Leo's P.O.V but I'm trying to keep a pattern, here, so...**

**~Melissa L.**

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><p>It was cold in the room that night. Hazel didn't know how Leo could sleep with it being thirty degree in here. Oh wait, he couldn't get cold because he could summon fire anyway. Hazel unconsciously scooted closer to Leo. <em>Just to keep warm<em>, she thought,_ It doesn't mean anything_. Soon she fell asleep to the smell of smoke and oil.

* * *

><p>When Hazel woke up, she opened her eyes to see Leo still sleeping. There was something weird about that though because his face was pretty close to hers. Then she realized his arm draped on her waist and she had her legs tangled with his. She must've been colder than she thought. Hazel's hands were lightly on his chest. Hazel thought of backing away from him but she didn't want to wake him. She finally noticed the dark circles under Leo's eyes. He probably hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. She tried going back to sleep, but she couldn't ignore Leo's steady breathing blowing slightly on her face and his warm arm around her as if he was protecting her from something. She decided to study his face. She hadn't seen him in months and not much changed, which she was glad for. His curly black hair was as messy as ever. Hazel always wondered what it felt like but she was never in any position to touch it, especially with Frank keeping an eye on her when she and Leo were in the same room.<p>

Hazel slowly moved her hand from Leo's chest and brushed some off his curls off his face. His hair was so soft. Hazel twirled a lock of hair around her finger and let it go. It bounced back into place. Hazel stiffened a giggle.

"Are you done playing with my hair?" Hazel was startled. She jumped back, well, tried. Leo's arm held her in place. Hazel's face felt hot. Leo opened his eyes and Hazel recognized that glint of amusement mixed with a soft brown. Hazel never really liked brown. It was too boring to her but when she looked at Leo's playful eyes, she didn't think there was a color more perfect.

"I was just..." Hazel looked away, burning up from embarrassment. She decided to change the subject, "Did you sleep well?"

"Actually, I don't think I slept that good in a long time," Leo smiled. "By the way, I hope you don't mind but it looked like you were cold and you were curling up to me so I just put my arm around you."

"That's okay. It was cold. Thanks," Hazel said. They locked eyes a second too long and Hazel had to look away again. Then she remembered how they were lying on the bed. She cleared her throat, "We better get up."

"Oh right," Leo took his arm off her and Hazel sat up. She put her shoes on. Leo walked to his drawer and took out a camp Half-Blood shirt. He took his old shirt off. Hazel didn't mean to stare, really. Maybe Leo didn't have toned abs like some other guys at camp but he wasn't scrawny like he used to be. He had some muscle from working on the Argo II and in the battle with Gaea. Hazel couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before.

"Hazel, are you staring at me? Is my hair on fire again?" Leo patted his hair.

"NO! It's that-oh, will you put your shirt on already?!" She looked away and walked out the room, but not before seeing Leo grin widely.

"I was just kidding, Haze. Don't get mad," He said as they both walked to the deck.

"I knew that..."

"Sure you did," Hazel looked up at the sun high above them.

"Crap, it must be noon or something! Frank must be worried sick," Hazel could already imagine Frank talking to the senate about starting a search for her.

"So you stayed here a little late," Leo shrugged.

"But Frank-"

"Ok," Leo looked annoyed, "Let's go find him." and he climbed down the rope ladder. Hazel wondered what that was about. She shrugged it off and began climbing down, too.

* * *

><p>As she suspected, no one was at the camp. They were probably having a senate meeting to send a search party. For all her friends knew, she could've been abducted by monsters or something.<p>

"Where is everyone?" Leo asked.

"Maybe they're in the amphitheater having a meeting," Hazel said. They walked to the amphitheater to see it full with campers. Frank was arguing with Octavian.

"...she couldn't of gone too far." Frank said.

"For all we know, she could be dead by now. Are we really going to risk other people's lives for one person that might already be gone?" Octavian argued.

"We don't know that," Frank countered, frustrated with the Aurgur. "We're wasting time. She could be hurt, lost, she could be-"

"Right there!" said a camper she recognized as Lacy, one of Piper's half sisters. Frank turned to Hazel's and Leo's direction, along with a few hundred more pairs of eyes. She heard whispers about Leo.

"Hazel, you're okay," Frank said. He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a short kiss in the process.

"Good to see you, too Zhang," Leo interrupted. Frank let go of her.

"Leo? You came out," Frank said shocked.

"Leo!" Hazel heard other voices. It was Nyssa and Leo's other half siblings, Greeks and Romans. They all crowded around him, asking him questions, hugging him. Hazel was glad Leo was having a nice family reunion.

"How did you get him out of there?" Frank asked her. Hazel just smiled at him.

* * *

><p>"Dude! You're back," Jason said and gave Leo a 'manly hug' as he put it.<p>

"Glad you changed your mind, Leo," Percy said and put a hand on his shoulder. Annabeth also gave him a hug. Piper was tearing up a bit.

Aw, even Beauty Queen missed me," Leo said and held out his arms, waiting for Piper to give him a welcome hug. Piper walked up to him and smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Do you have any idea how worried I was!" Piper said, "Do that again and next time, you'd be wishing you were dead." Piper took a deep breath and wiped her nose. "Now that I got that out. Come here, Repair boy," she finally gave him a hug.

"It's good to see you again, Valdez," Frank smiled at him.

"But what made you come out?" Annabeth asked.

"Hazel knocked some sense into me," and everyone turned to look at her.

"I'm sure you would've come out sooner or later even if I hadn't said anything," Hazel said.

"Yeah...probably not, but I'm here now." Leo put his arm around Jason and Piper.

"Well good and you better not leave again or else we'll have to shackle you to us," Jason joked.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Piper said.

"I promise I won't go anywhere...probably," Leo also joked.

"Well, I'm glad because you and I have a lot of work to do, Valdez," Annabeth said and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, what?"

"You and I are going to work on the construction of the city, duh. I need your opinion on these buildings..." They went off to the Athena cabin.

"Hazel, who knows how you did it, but I'm glad you did," Percy told her. Frank put his arm around her.

"Yeah, she's awesome like that," Hazel blushed a little. Surely she hadn't don that much. Leo would've come out without her, right?

* * *

><p>"I said, leave me alone!" Hazel glared at David. She didn't want to go through this again.<p>

"So I heard you got the mechanic out his little warship," David continued.

"His name is Leo," Hazel corrected.

"Oh, I'm sorry I got your grease monkey's name wrong."

"Ugh! Go away, already. Don't you have someone else to annoy?"

"I'm annoying you? I had no idea," David snickered.

"And for your information, Leo's my friend," She verified.

"Whatever. Is he the reason why you went missing for a few hours? I was just about to volunteer to go looking for you."

"Sure you were," Hazel rolled her eyes. She walked faster and as always, David followed. David started pushing her gently to a wall.

"No one's around, you know."

"You're a persistent person aren't you?" Hazel said while she tried pushing him back. He pressed her to the wall. "Try anything and I swear-"

"Now, why would I do that?" David caressed her cheek and she quickly slapped his hand away.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Hazel heard a very familiar voice. David jumped away from her.

"Leo!" She hurried over to his side. "Thanks for saving me," she whispered.

"So is this David?" He asked.

"Got a problem with that?" David challenged.

"No, no problem at all. I just thought you wouldn't be so ugly," Leo said as a matter a factly. David looked about ready to punch Leo. "By the way, Hazel. Frank told me that he needed to see you. It was important."

"Then let's go! We can't keep Frank waiting." She started pulling Leo away so David didn't start a fight. "Bye David." They quickly walked away.

"Thank the Gods you came, "Hazel said, " I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do. He could of raped you for all you knew." Leo had a serious look on his face, which didn't appear often, "I don't think you should walk alone anymore. Why do you go that way anyway if you're going to bump into that guy?"

"That's the only way to go after sword training. I go to my cabin afterwards to quickly shower and change," Hazel explained.

"Hmm, that is a problem," Leo thought for a moment, "I know, I'll ask Chiron to change my schedule so it's like yours. Then you wouldn't have to be alone."

"Really? Thanks but you don't have to."

"No, really. It fine," He insisted.

"Okay, so what did Frank need?"

"Nothing, I just needed an excuse to get you out of there." Hazel smiled at Leo. She couldn't be happier to have her friend back.

* * *

><p><strong>Now that Leo and David know each other, it's time to put some Frank on here.<strong>

**~Melissa L.**


	5. Do Whatever It Takes If You Have To

**Just mentioning that this will mostly be Leo dreaming. Got that? Ok, carry on...**

**~Melissa L.**

* * *

><p><em>Leo found himself walking through a field filled with different flowers. It was so peaceful, especially with the sun shining high above him. He spotted Hazel walking towards him. "Hey Leo," Hazel said cheerfully.<em>

_"Hey Haze," He replied. She took his hand and they started walking. Leo wasn't sure where they were going but he was too distracted by the fact that he was holding hands with Hazel. Then the air around them turned cold and the sky showed darkness. Leo knew something was completely wrong. Hazel looked scared. Leo was about to tell her that it was going to be ok but Hazel was pulled away from his grasp and Leo watched horrified as darkness swallowed him. He heard Hazel scream._

_Leo didn't know where he was. He looked up and the only thing he could see was light but around him just pitch black. Then he noticed two figures walking towards him from either side. One of the figures looked like he was grabbing on to someone else, who was struggling to get away. Then Leo felt someone punch him in the stomach. He fell to his knees._

_"Leo!" He heard Hazel call him. He took a desperate breath and looked up. He saw David with a sneer on his face and Frank holding on to Hazel who was trying to escape from his arms._

_"You can't have her, Leo," Frank said in a hollow voice. Then David took another swing with his fist and punched Leo in the face. Leo felt blood trickle down from his nose. David kicked him in the stomach again leaving Leo gasping for breath on the ground. He made Leo sit up and look at him._

_"Stay away from her or else," David said and punched Leo again._

_"Stop! Please stop," Hazel yelled, "Leave him alone." But Frank and David paid no attention to her. Leo felt himself get sucked into some other place. He felt like he was falling. He landed on his face, which was starting to really hurt. He got up and his heart sank as he looked around. It looked just like Calypso's island. He was standing on the beach and Leo saw Calypso on her knees, tending to some flowers a few feet away. Leo froze for a minute, not knowing what to do next. Then Calypso turned around and saw him._

_"Leo!" She got up and started running towards him. After a moment of hesitation, Leo surged forward. he could apologize, say he didn't mean what he had told her maybe get a hug or a kiss if he was lucky. He spread his arms to her to hug her but Calypso pushed him away. He tumbled to the ground. Calypso was shaking with rage._

_"What are you doing here?!" She demanded. "I thought you never wanted to see me again!" She sobbed. Leo wanted to say something, to tell her what happened but he couldn't find his voice. "You left me! You said we would have a garage together, remember? Leo and Calypso's Garage? You said you would come back for me."_

_"I did," he managed to say._

_"To tell me you never wanted to see me again! You monster!" She screamed. Leo got up and tried to dry her tear but some invisible force threw him a few feet away. Calypso broke down completely and sat there with her face buried in her knees, cursing Leo for being so cruel._

_"Calypso, I-" Leo wanted to say sorry but that darkness came back and soon he found himself standing in front of Nemesis._

_"You did this!" Leo shouted at her and threw a fireball at her but it easily went through her._

_"Now why is this my fault, Leo Valdez? I offered you a deal and you accepted it," She said. Leo remained quiet because as much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right._

_"Why are you here then?"_

_"I don't know, you tell me. This is your dream," She said._

_"A dream?" Leo blurted out. "Well I want to wake up from this nightmare!"_

_"Leo, Leo, Leo," Nemesis shook her head. "So full of misery and sorrow. You lost your mom at a young age, you were alone for so long trying to run away from your problems, found friends who still treated you like a seven wheel." Leo didn't need to here his pathetic life story._

_"Shut up!" He yelled._

_"And now you're trying to win the heart of a girl when you have recently broke another's heart," she continued._

_"Why are you telling me this, Nemesis?" He asked sadly. Nemesis then started transforming. She got shorter, tanner, her hair turned short and curly. Leo realized he was staring at an exact copy of himself, like he was staring at himself in a mirror. "Sammy?"_

_"Sammy? No, I'm you, Leo," He said._

_"That can't be. You can't be me," Leo protested. The guy might've looked like him but he looked so depressed. His hair was way messier than his own, he had deep dark circles under his eyes._

_"I'm the other side of you," The other Leo said. "The side that you rarely show and hide behind your humor."_

_"Wow...I look terrible."_

_"You're so funny," Fake Leo said sarcastically, "I'm pretty much your fears, your insecurities, your sadness and let's just say you have a lot of that. Maybe Nemesis was right and we don't belong."_

_"You're such a downer, you know that?"_

_"I'm only saying what you think. Look Calypso's gone, the image you saw wasn't really her. That's what you think might have happened with her. She's probably already with someone else. Now you have Hazel."_

_"But what about Frank and that creep David? I can't-"_

_"You lost too much already. Don't screw up your chance at happiness," Fake Leo said harshly, "Are you going to let some imbeciles get in the way like Nemesis did with Calypso?!"_

_"Will you stop bringing her up!"_

_"You're weak" Fake Leo taunted, "You don't have what it takes."_

_"Stop it!" Leo warned, already feeling flames in his hands._

_"Then don't lose her, Leo. For once in your life don't screw it up." Fake Leo insisted, "Do whatever it takes if you have to." _

* * *

><p>Leo gasped for breath. He looked around for the darkness or that Fake Leo guy. All he saw were the projects he and the HephaestusVulcan kids were working on in Bunker 9. Now he remembered he came here to work on some of them and he must've fallen asleep. That dream was...Leo didn't even have any words for it. _Do whatever it takes if you have to._ That's what Fake Leo had told him.

* * *

><p>Ok some people might think I went a little too far with this but I needed this change in Leo to actually turn "crazy" (which is in the title) and he needed emotional trauma which will be important for the rest of the story so just keep that in mind as you continue to read this.<p>

~Melissa L.


	6. They Say Violence is Never the Answer

**This is where things start to pick up...That's all I got to say. Sorry for not updating. I've been doing other things.**

**~Melissa L.**

* * *

><p>Hazel was becoming very frustrated in her relationship with Frank. The worst thing was that it wasn't even Frank's fault! Sure he had been busy with being a Praetor and everything. Hazel understand that he didn't have as much time to be with her like they used to. Hazel could tell that Frank was becoming more worried that she was getting a little too close to Leo. That of course was not her fault that they somehow ended up hanging out the whole day.<p>

She was also starting to wonder if she was second guessing herself about the whole thing._ Maybe Leo needs me more_, she would think, _Frank can handle himself_, which would just make Hazel want to slap herself for even thinking of that. She wasn't proud of her growing attraction to the son of Hephaestus. If anything, it was a total nightmare. That sudden churn at the pit of her stomach when he smiled her way, the way her knees buckled when they accidently touched. It was really starting to drive her insane, but she would stay calm and act indifferent. She already had Frank and she couldn't just leave him. Could she?

That kind of thinking was why she was starting to really hate herself. She felt like she was falling into a deeper hole and soon she wasn't going to be able to get herself out of it, metaphorically speaking that is because she would gladly take being thrown into a hole than this. At least she would be able to use her underground abilities and escape. She sometimes wished she had never met Leo so that she could be completely in love with Frank and not have any problems at all. In the end, she would scold herself because it wasn't Leo's fault and neither Frank's.

Day after day, Hazel would tell herself that she wasn't falling for Leo, that she just wanted to be a good friend, but no matter how much she tried to lie to herself, it was useless and she'd start day dreaming about what it would be like if Leo was hers. She wasn't making this any easier for herself. Hazel planned to ask for advice from Piper or Annabeth, but she talked herself out of it. She just couldn't bring up her dilemma to anyone. It had to be her secret. No one had to know. She figured that sooner or later, the attraction would wear off in time and everything would be okay.

* * *

><p>"...and then I jumped on Jason's back and we fell in the lake!" Leo finished. They laughed along to his ridiculous story.<p>

"You're so weird," Hazel said through giggles.

"Yeah, no one's weirder than me," Leo stated. They were just walking through camp, having nothing better to do. Hazel wasn't planning on it, in fact, she was actually trying to avoid Leo. She figured that the less she saw him, the better. Goddess Fortuna was definitely not on her side. She had bumped into him after Lunch and how could she tell him to leave her alone? Instead of thinking of an excuse, she agreed to go walking with him.

"So I was thinking that we should have a party," Leo said randomly.

"Why?"

"Do you really have to ask? Everyone loves parties!"

"I've never actually been to a party..." Hazel said a bit embarrassed.

"WHAT!? That's terrible! Now we really NEED to have a party. You're missing out, Haze." They were interrupted by none other than David.

"Hey, Haze, baby!" He called out. She and Leo stopped and turned to him. Hazel tensed up at being called that by him.

"What do you want now, David?" She asked annoyed.

"Nothing really, just wanted to see my baby girl," he said, smirking.

"She's not you're 'baby girl'," Leo said in a very serious, non-Leo tone. Hazel looked at him and saw a kind of glint in his eyes that she couldn't quite place. Whatever it was, it made her internally shiver.

"I can call her whatever I want. Why don't you go and play with your little tools, shitface." Leo took a step towards David, but Hazel grabbed his shoulder and held him back.

"Stop it, Leo. It's not worth it," Hazel warned.

"What are you scared of? Afraid I'll kick your ass?" David mocked. Hazel could feel Leo starting to heat up and she knew she had to get him away from David or else something bad was going to happen.

"Leo, let's go!" Hazel said more firmly and started pulling him away, biting her lip to keep from screaming at the heat from Leo's skin. Leo must've noticed and immediately the pain subsided.

"Sorry," He muttered.

"Please calm down and let me handle this," Hazel told him and went up to David, smiling like an idiot. This time she was going to be clear that she wanted nothing to do with the creep.

"Look, David. I don't know why you like me so much but I don't have any kind of feelings towards you. You might thing that I'm into that whole Bad Boy attitude but to be honest, I don't like it, so just stop flirting with me, stop trash talking my friends and leave me alone." She sounded pretty convincing to herself. She gave David a completely serious look. She should've known he was going to do something stupid. The look he gave her should've been a dead give-away, but she was too busy wanting to get away from him that she didn't register it and started to walk away from him. She looked at Leo. He started to tell her something but then she felt the most uncomfortable feeling in the world.

She squeaked at the sudden grip from her behind and her cheeks started to feel hot. She was so in shock that she barely heard David laughing. She quickly turned around and put her hands behind her backside, staring at David, who was still laughing like a maniac.

"Did you...Did you just..." Hazel stuttered, still not over the shock. The next thing she knew, Leo had David pinned down and was punching him repeatedly with his fist, which were caught on fire. Hazel quickly ran to them and tried to get Leo off him. She wasn't doing it for David, but Leo was going to get in serious trouble if she didn't stop him. Soon, there was a crowd forming and Jason, along with Piper, managed to pull Leo off David.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" David spit blood. He had two black eyes and burns covered his face. It wasn't too bad, but it scared Hazel a bit t=that Leo did that because of her.

"LET ME GO!" Leo screamed, trying to get at David again, but Piper used her Charmspeak and managed to calm him down.

"What's going on here?" Hazel turned around and saw Reyna and Frank make their way through the crowd. This was gong to take some explaining.


	7. There's No Other Way

"Look, I had to do it," Leo said, "You would've done the same, too." After Jason and Piper had gotten him off David, Will took him to the infirmary. They all still thought the Leo just got a bit out of control and they hadn't let him anything until he stopped trying to go punch the creep again. He was now sitting on a chair being interrogated by Reyna and Frank, with Hazel and the others standing near him to make sure he was under control.

"Look, Leo. You can't just burst into flames and start fights like that," Frank explained.

"That asshole grabbed your girlfriend's ass! I was just defending her, unlike you." Leo hissed at him.

"What?" He looked at Hazel, but she averted her eyes. "Is that true?"

"I just..." Hazel tried to give him an explanation.

"Are you not listening?" Leo was starting to get really irritated by Frank's ignorance. He was the boyfriend here and he didn't even know what was going on. Frank looked like he wanted to turn into a bear and maybe go on a rampage or something, but Reyna gave him a look that said, _I'll handle this._

"We'll deal with David, but you still shouldn't use your powers like that. It's extremely dangerous, Valdez. What if you started a fire and you burned the whole camp?" Leo got angry. He hated when people reminded him of what his power could do. Why did they always think he was going to destroy something? They thought he couldn't control it and sure from time to time, it would slip but he wasn't dangerous.

"Whatever," He shoved past the Praetors. "I'm out of here."

"We're not done here, Leo," Frank told him, but Leo was already out the door.

* * *

><p>Leo found himself in Bunker nine, alone. His half siblings didn't come as often because of construction of the city. He couldn't believe his friends. They knew him better than some crazy pyromaniac. He was so angry that he kicked a tool box that was on the floor. Leo watched as the various tools rolled all over the floor. He took a deep breath to calm himself.<em> I hope people don't start to avoid me<em>, Leo thought. He didn't want to be a freak again.

* * *

><p>"Why didn't you tell me earlier about David?!" Frank demanded angrily at Hazel. The rest of their friends left them to talk, but Hazel didn't want to fight with Frank.<p>

"I thought I could handle him, alright?" Hazel countered.

"And that worked out great, didn't it," Frank said sarcastically.

"Get off my back. You're not my keeper!"

"I'm your boyfriend and I have to take care of you, Hazel!"

"You think I can't take care of myself or something?" Frank didn't say anything for a while. He looked away from her eyes.

"I just...I don't want you to get hurt," He said almost in a whisper. Hazel's anger melted from her. Of course Frank only wanted to keep her safe. She felt stupid for yelling at him like that. "I'm sorry," He continued, "I know you can take care of yourself. It's just that I don't want you to get hurt in any way if I can help it." He sounded so sincere that it made Hazel feel fuzzy like she always felt around Frank. She hugged him tightly.

She felt so comfortable in his embrace, but she couldn't help but let Leo seep into her mind. He made her feel a more intense emotion where she got nervous and jittery. It was a very uncomfortable yet pleasing feeling. Hazel didn't want to think of Leo, especially not now. She felt so ashamed at that moment that she started to cry a little. Frank pulled her away at arms length.

"I'm sorry, Hazel. I didn't mean to sound so mean. Please don't cry and he held her close again. That only made Hazel cry more because Frank was blaming himself and it only made Hazel feel more guilty.

* * *

><p><em>Three Days Later<em>

Leo skipped out on his classes. He would be in big trouble for it, not that it was unusual for him though. He just didn't feel like having every eye on him. He spend most of his time in Bunker Nine and no one came to disturb him, not even Hazel. Leo felt upset that she didn't come talk to him but after the way he acted a few days ago, maybe he finally managed to scare her away.

It was almost midnight and Leo was leaving to his cabin. It was dark in the woods so he brought a flashlight so he would trip on something. He was walking out the woods when he suddenly heard rustling around him. Leo quickly turned around but he didn't see anything. _I'm becoming too paranoid_, he thought to himself as he continued to walk. Then he heard it again. Now he knew there was something out there.

"Alright, that's enough. Come out now!" Leo said out loud. Silence. He waited a few more minutes. He slowly turned around and felt someone suddenly punch him in the stomach. His knees buckled and he fell on the ground. Then three more figures came out and crowded around him. Leo's flashlight laid beside him, illuminating his attackers' feet. That's when he felt pain all over his body. He barely heard their insults and laughter. Leo tried not to cry out in pain. That's what they wanted to hear, so he held it for as long as he could. After what felt like an eternity to Leo, the blows finally subsided. He felt someone pull his hair from the ground and a guy in a ski mask whispered in his ear, "That's what happens when you mess with me. You really think I don't know. Well you'll never have Hazel." He might as well put a glow-in-the-dark sign that said his name. Leo knew it was non other than David. After David let go of his hair, he and his friends made a run for it.

Leo didn't move for quiet some time. He was too weak to even lift his head up, but David's words kept echoing in his mind. You'll never have Hazel. Then the other Leo from his dream suddenly appeared in his mind and started speaking to him.

"This is what I mean. You can't let anyone push you around like that, especially that bastard," He said, "Remember what I told you. You can't let David or anyone else get in the way. Not this time. There's no other option. You know what to do." Leo let those words sink in. At first Leo didn't understand what the other Leo meant, but the longer he laid on the ground, with blood streaming from his nose, he started to understand. That other Leo was right. There was no other way to do this.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not sure if you guys will figure it out but you probably will.<strong>

**~Melissa L.**


	8. Mind Your Own Business

Leo knew exactly what to do, but first, he had to get up. Leo was too tired to even move and lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again he noticed a pair of kaleidoscope eyes staring down at him.

"Piper?" He asked.

...

Piper was so worried about him. Her, Jason and the others had started searching immediately. She was just glad that Leo hadn't run off. "Gods Leo! We've been looking everywhere for you," she exclaimed as she kneeled down beside him. "We thought you ran away again. What happened to you?" Piper helped Leo up. He seemed to have problems trying to stand.

"Nothing," He said coldly, "Just got jumped by a couple of fukers."

"Who? We have to go and tell the Praetors and they'll take care of it," Piper was sure that Frank and Reyna would take care of it.

"I can take care of it myself," Leo snapped and started trudging into camp. "I'll take care of everything." What did he mean by that? Piper wasn't sure what was going on with Leo lately. This wasn't him. She wondered if she should tell the others about this, but she didn't want to make Leo angry. After all, Piper wanted Leo to feel comfortable. She didn't want anything to go wrong with Leo again.

...

_Piper should mind her own business,_ Leo thought. He made his way to Cabin nine, getting a lot of questionable and worried looks from his half-siblings.

"Wow, what happened to you?" Nyssa asked him as she held out an ambrosia square. Leo ate it and he instantly felt better. "Yum. Tastes like my mom's tacos." His mom could make the best tacos in the world. "It's my special sauce," She'd say.

"Hey, Leo? You okay?" Leo's thoughts were interrupted by Jake.

"Uh, yeah."

"Are you going to tell us where you were?" nagged Nyssa.

"I was at Bunker Nine."

"And how'd you get all beat up?"

"It doesn't matter," Leo shoved past them and went to his bunk. He pressed a button and he was brought down to his private room. He was greeted by Buford. For some reason, the table liked to hang out here from time to time.

"Hey Buford," Leo said and laid on his bed, all of his last energy drained out of him. _Should I really do it?_ He asked himself. _What if I get caught? What would Frank and Reyna do? What would Hazel think?_ That last question swarmed through his had until it was interrupted by the other Leo that seemed to act like Leo's conscience.

"Will you stop being a wimp and just do it!" ordered the other Leo. "If you plan it right, nobody has to find out. Remember, you're doing this for Hazel."

With all his doubt having disappeared, Leo sat up on his bed. "Buford, come here for a minute. I need you to do something for me."

* * *

><p>David was feeling very upbeat that day. Now that he had taught that scrawny loser a lesson (and bragged about it to his half siblings) Valdez would learn not to mess with him. David was just coming out of Arts and Crafts class, which he thought was the stupidest class at camp. He decided to go hang out in his usual alley to wait for his two friends, Jack and Bruce. They always met at the alley because to them, it looked pretty gangster-like. Jack and Bruce were always late because they stopped by at the pavilion to go flirt with some Aphrodite girls that hung out there. That's when David noticed the walking table.<p>

"What the hell?" He said as the table made its way towards him. "Uh...what do you want?" David felt stupid talking to it but he couldn't think of anything else. A small hole opened in the middle of the table and a mechanical arm popped out and shoved a note at his face. David snatched the paper.

_Asshole,_

_You probably think you're such a tough guy don't you? I say that's pathetic. You jumped me with two other guys to do most of your dirty work. Well, if you're as tough shit as you think you are, meet me at Zeus' Fist at 1 AM unless you're scared. Tell anyone or bring anyone with you and I'll know just how much of a coward you are. _

_Leo Valdez A.K.A the guy that's going to kick you're ass_

David was shocked that Leo would respond like this. Then he smiled. _That idiot actually thinks he can take me. We'll see about that._ He stuffed the note in his pocket and looked at the walking table again. It was still waiting in front of him like it was hoping something would happen.

"Scram or I'll make firewood out of you!" He threatened it. The table jumped and scurried away. David chuckled at the fleeing piece of furniture. _I should go sharpen my knife,_ he thought as he walked to the forges.

* * *

><p>David was about to enter the forges when he was stopped by none other than Piper McLean.<p>

"Hey you!" she called out.

"Well hello to you, too," he turned around to see a very angry daughter of Aphrodite.

"It was you wasn't it?" she accused.

"What was me?"

"Oh don't play dumb," she snapped, "I heard the Ares kids talking about it. You beat up Leo!"

"I don't see why you're so surprised. That sorry excuse for a guy was too easy to beat."

"Just stay away from him, got it?" Piper shoved me to the door and stormed off.

"Man, what a bitch," I muttered. _Just for that, I'm going to make sure Valdez need surgery after I'm done with him._

* * *

><p><em><strong>1 AM <strong>_

The night was unusually cold but David wasn't going to go back on anything. As he marched into the dark woods, however, the feeling in his gut was practically screaming _Danger! Turn around and run_! But David wasn't going to chicken out from a fight, especially if he was fighting Leo Valdez. He ignored his gut and continued on. The monster noises echoed though the hundreds of trees that were surrounding David. His pulse started quickening and he started getting sweaty. He couldn't be...scared? No, David was not scared. He couldn't believe how he was acting.

"You just throw a few punches, stab his sorry ass, make you're point and leave," David reminded himself. After minutes of walking through the woods, he came to Zeus' Fist. David was expecting Leo to be there but no one was around. Did he chicken out? David leaned on the rock, smiling to himself. He was too scared to even come! What a faggot. He's probably in his cabin, cowering in bed. If David was just paying attention to the sudden crunching of the ground. If he wasn't so distracted by his thoughts, he would've dodged the object that was brought down on his head.

David fell on the ground. His head hurt so much that it almost felt numb. In that instant, he felt fear. The anxiety expanded through him and all he could do was moan and groan in pain. What was going on? David felt someone grab his feet and drag him somewhere. He wanted to run, as shameful as it would be but the fear consumed most of his pride and all he was thinking about was to live. Then he was on his stomach with his hands bound together. Am I getting kidnapped? To David that really didn't make sense. Why would you kidnap a demigod in camp?

The whole world started spinning as David felt the person stuff his mouth with a rag that tasted disgustingly like oil. Oil? David forced himself to concentrate on what was going on. His head felt like it might explode at any moment. The attacker made him sit up, which shot pain through his head. He screamed but was muffled by the rag in his mouth. He felt something go around his neck and tighten.

"Hey pal," David heard Leo's voice sounded cold, menacing even. "Sorry for tricking you into coming out here but it had to be done." David felt Leo shift towards his right. He felt a pull from whatever was tied around his neck. David tried screaming for help but it was no use.

"Never thought you'd be scared of me," Leo continued, "Don't worry, you won't have to suffer anymore after I'm done." David started struggling with the rope of his hands and tried to stand but failed miserably. He felt a trickle of what he assumed was blood trail down the side of his head. The agony of his head injury was almost too much for David, but was temporarily numbed by the terror coursing through him.

"You'll be fine. Did you know that if you cut the wind pipe, it'll take about 30 seconds for that person to become unconscious and another minute for them to die?" Leo asked him in that same intimidating tone. Leo wouldn't. David knew he wouldn't go through with this. But as the seconds passed excruciatingly slow, David began doubting it. If he was going to die like this, then David wasn't going to beg. He could still keep his dignity.

"I'm not the bad guy here, David. You're the one that got in the way." What was he talking about? "You brought this on yourself. But just to show that I'm not totally heartless, here." David felt something cold and metallic forced into his mouth. "A Drachma. That way, you'll get to the underworld faster."

Leo disappeared again behind him and David felt a harder tug on the cord. He wanted to panic but steeled himself to stay calm and die with some pride. "It won't take long, David. Just think of something happy and in thirty seconds, you'll drift off to sleep." David wanted to tell Leo that it didn't have to be this way, but he didn't even have enough time to try because the cord started pulling him up and soon he was dangling from wherever he was. The strain on his head and neck were painful._ Think of something happy_, that's what Leo said. David's last thought was hoping that Leo got was coming to him. Then he blacked out.

...

Leo watched at the dangling body in front of him. "What have I done?" He muttered under his breath. He just killed someone. Not a monster, a person. Leo wasn't so sure what to think of or what to do. Then the other Leo's voice whispered, "It was necessary and you know it. You're one step closer to Hazel. You did what you had to do." Leo knew what he did was wrong, but was it really? He did it because David was a threat. Leo felt the corners of his lips twitch up.

"I did what I had to do," He repeated. He grabbed his bloody hammer and made his way to Bunker nine to hide it. _No one has to know,_ Leo thought.

* * *

><p>Is this still considered rated T? Just asking because, not to try to give any spoilers or anything but, one or two more deaths that are a little more graphic in later chapters. Please tell me to change it.<p>

~Melissa L.


	9. It Wasn't Murder (Are You Sure?)

**Well, I decided to keep it rated T until further notice. Enjoy this next chapter. I couldn't help but update because I have SO many ideas for this. First time writing anything like this so I'm hoping that I'm doing at least okay.**

**~Melissa L.**

* * *

><p>For the last three days, no one had seen David. The Ares cabin started feeling worried. Hazel wasn't really sure why David would run away, but she didn't even like the idiot. Although, it was weird for someone to just leave camp. Everyone assumed that he left because there was no other explanation.<p>

"He's probably doing something stupid in the mortal world," Clarisse told her cabin mates, probably to keep them calm. "We all know how he is." It seemed to work for a while, but the sudden disappearance of the son of Ares turned to weeks. People started wondering if David really had left on his own. Chiron tried to lighten things up by suggesting a friendly game of capture the flag. Hazel had always wanted to try that since Percy had told her it was very exciting. The Ares cabin certainly took the offer. The teams would be Greek vs. Roman. It would be friendly of course, but Romans were very competitive, unlike the Greeks. As she got her armor strapped on, Frank walked up to her in his toga.

"Hey Frank, why aren't you in your armor?" she asked.

"I won't be playing. Reyna and I are going to be referees with Chiron. I came to wish you luck."

"Well, that's too bad. We could really use you on our team. You know all our friends are playing."

"You'll be fine without me. I'll be cheering you on." He said as he waved her good bye and ran to his Pegasus. Hazel noticed the children of Aphrodite strapping on armor.

"Are you guys playing?" Hazel didn't meant to sound like she was surprised they were because of their mother.

"What, you think we don't know how to fight?" The girl's name was Drew. Hazel remembered Piper talking about her. She didn't say too many nice things about her half-sister.

"It's just that someone told me that you usually don't participate in the games."

"Well sorry to disappoint you, honey," Drew sneered, "But if the Venus kids are playing than so are we. We'll show them we're just as good as they are, right?" She asked her siblings. They all agreed with determination as they walked out to their group. Everyone playing was just outside the woods. Romans were red and Greeks were blue. Chiron quieted everyone down and went over the rules. They seemed similar to the war games. Jason was leading the Romans to the west woods while Percy took the Greeks east.

Jason had everything planned. Hazel of course got the boring job. She was supposed to scout around 'enemy lines'. It made sense, though, because Hazel was quick. She would've liked to be offence but scouting was good too. She started towards the creek where there would be a clearing. The creek was the line that divided the sides. Hazel marched on, careful to not make too much noise as the scene of trees was replaced by the creek rushing by and a pile of rocks. _Zeus' Fist,_ Hazel thought. She hurried over the creek and into the woods again but was shortly stopped as she heard lots of movement in front of her. Then she saw about twenty campers in a solid line, running towards her. Hazel, without thinking started running back. She jumped over the creek but tripped over a knife that was lying on the grass. _Who leaves their weapon at a time like this_? Hazel thought. She didn't waste anymore time and got back on her feet. Hazel decided to make a right and run into the woods to lose the attackers.

It was dark and Hazel couldn't see that much in front of her. She glanced behind her and two Greeks chased after her while the rest went into the Roman territory. A sword was thrown at her but Hazel managed to dodge it. The sword hit a tree and as she past it. Hazel looked behind her again but the second she did, she ran into something. Whatever it was, it hurt her head. While she was trying to shake off the pain, she heard a scream. Hazel quickly turned and noticed that Katie Gardner was staring at something behind Hazel, in horror while the other guy, Malcolm, also stared dumfounded.

_What are they staring at_? Hazel slowly turned and couldn't hold in the blood-curdling scream that escaped her throat. She was temporarily frozen as she stared at the body dangling from the tree. As the body turned, Hazel saw it was...

"David." She whispered.

Soon, the campers gathered around, astonished. No one would ever think that there would be a death like this. Then the questions started.

"Who did it?"

"Was it suicide?"

"Anyone know what happened?"

Chiron and the Praetors walked through the crowd and saw the body. They didn't seem to know what to do at that moment. Nothing like this had ever happened. Finally, Reyna cleared her throat. "We need to take the body down." No one volunteered.

"I'll do it," came a voice from the crowd. Leo stepped out. He didn't seem phased, which was odd considering he was helping to cut down a dead body. He took out a knife from his tool belt and didn't waste time in going behind a nearby bush and cutting a rope that was hidden somewhere. Leo carefully lowered David to the ground. Everyone stared at him. Leo noticed, "What?"

"How did you know where the rope to get him down was?" Clarisse asked, a bit of accusation dripping from her words.

"It looks like a simple pulley system," Leo explained, "The rope goes from here to here. It makes sense that the cord would end up being tied in that direction."

"Interesting how you know a lot about this." Clarisse continued.

"Yeah I do. I work with things like this all the time. What are you trying to say?" He questioned her as he shot her a glare.

"Nothing. What do you think I'm trying to say?"

"You think I did it, don't you?" He snapped.

"Well, you never even liked him! And he did beat your ass a few weeks ago before he went missing."

"Stop it, Clarisse!" Hazel intervened. " You can't just go around pointing fingers at anyone." Leo gave her a grateful look.

"Hazel's right." Frank said, "I say we investigate the place for clues and see what we find."

"What, like in crime scene shows?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, but for now, we should take the body somewhere else. We shouldn't touch the body with our bare hands or we'll contaminate it." Frank looked confused for a second. "So, how and where are we putting it?"

"The body can go in a blanket or whatever and then we can set up a tent and examine it from there," Annabeth answered.

"You know, maybe it was suicide," Leo suggested.

"Maybe," Reyna agreed, "But we can't be too sure. For now, Apollo cabin," She turned her attention to Will Solace and Bobby. "Take care of the body and put up a tent. The rest of you. Go to you're cabins." Campers started to slowly walk towards the cabins. Hazel said goodbye to Frank and headed to Cabin 13. Halfway there, Leo had caught up to her.

"Hey. Thanks for sticking up for me," He told her.

"Don't worry about it. But do you think it was murder or something?" she asked. That glint in his eyes was back that made Hazel want to step back. The look he had when he had suddenly just pinned David down and punched him.

"No, it wasn't murder, Hazel. It wasn't." He sounded so sure and it made Hazel wonder...no. This was Leo and Leo would never do something like that.

"Are you okay, Haze?" he asked. The scary glint of craziness gone from his eyes.

"Yeah. I'm just still in shock. I kind of ran into a dead body," Hazel swallowed the lump in her throat that had started forming.

"It's alright, Haze," Leo said, "I'm here." He put his warm arm around her shoulders. All previous thoughts evaporated from her mind and were replaced by completely different ones. _Does he like me_, Hazel thought, _Friends put their arms around other friends, right? Maybe it doesn't mean anything._ While Hazel was distracted by her confusing feelings for him, the back of her mind continued to question,_ Did he do it?_


	10. Destroying Evidence

**Sorry that this was a short chapter, but I'm trying to update all my stories...**

**~Melissa L.**

* * *

><p>Reyna, Frank, Hazel, Annabeth and Leo were the ones to examine the body. Percy and Jason, along with the rest of the children of Athena, went to look for some clues at the 'crime scene'. Reyna and Frank were obviously there because they were in charge of what happened, Hazel was there because she found the body, Annabeth was smart, and Leo...well no one really sure why he was there but no one complained.<p>

All Leo was there for was to make sure that there was nothing to incriminate Leo to the crime, although Leo had stopped considering it as 'murder'. It wasn't murder if you had a good reason, at least in Leo's mind it made sense.

"Ok, obviously he died of asphyxiation and it's obvious that this is homicide," Annabeth looked at the head wound. Leo wanted to kick himself. There was no way they would think it was suicide now, "The head took a blow here." She pointed at the hole that was on David's left temple.

"Could it be possible that Octavian did this?" Frank suggested.

Leo nodded, "Maybe. That guy never liked us, Greeks."

"As much as everyone hates Octavian, why David? What could his motive possibly be?" _Damn,_ Leo thought. These people are too smart for their own good.

"The first thing to do is do an autopsy," Annabeth explained, "Has anyone here opened up dead bodies before?" Silence answered her question, "Of course not. I might have to get a child of Apollo." Leo wasn't paying attention. His focus shifted to a piece of paper that was sticking out of David's left pocket. The others hadn't seen it yet, but Leo knew that if he tried to make a grab for whatever it was, he'd have to hand it over.

"I'll see if I can find someone," Leo volunteered, "Don't touch him until I come back with Will or someone, okay?" Leo warned as he ran out the tent, hoping that they wouldn't notice the paper that had a good chance of being the note he had sent David before he killed him. Leo had to think of how to get Reyna, Frank, Hazel and Annabeth away from the body long enough to take the paper and burn it before anyone found it. The night it happened, Leo had made sure to untie David's hands, get rid of the oil rag, cleaned up the oil traces, but he never bothered to consider that maybe David had that note that Leo had sent him. That was definitely something to put him on the suspect list.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. There was a way to get people out of that tent. Leo just needed to act fast. He ran towards the Ares cabin. Halfway there, he conveniently ran into Russell, a child of Apollo. Leo took his chance.

"Dude, there you are," Leo said, "Remember that prank that the Stoll did on the Apollo cabin of hanging all your siblings' underwear every where in camp? Well, I heard from one of the Hermes kids that they got paid by the Ares cabin to do that."

"Are you sure?" Russell asked, already looking angry and alert.

"Positive," Leo reassured him. With that, Russell ran to tell the rest of his cabin. Leo didn't have to wait long before the children of Apollo and Ares were up to each other's throats. That was the perfect opportunity to get the Praetors. Leo almost tripped while coming back into the tent.

Leo gasped, "Frank, Reyna. It's the Ares and Apollo cabin again." Leo didn't need to say more since it had happened before.

"Can't they ever get along?" Annabeth shook her head.

"Let's go!" Reyna ordered and everyone evacuated the room to put a stop to the disputing demigods. Leo quickly took his chance to dig his hand in David's pocket, ignoring the fact that his body was freezing. Leo unfolded it and sighed with relief, stuffing the paper in his own pocket. He would've gotten rid of it right then and there but unfortunately, Hazel chose this time to come back.

"Leo, come on. We might need your help to get Clarisse off Phil."

"Coming!" Soon he, along with many other demigods, were watching a fight almost unfold. Reyna and Frank finally managed to stop them, but nobody could lie that it wasn't entertaining when Clarisse shocked aimless at people, having been blinded momentarily by Will, hitting both Apollo and Ares kids.

* * *

><p>"Clarisse is a very violent girl," Reyna commented as they made their way around the table, where David's body lay. "But let's forget about that now and continue with the investigation."<p>

"We should take pictures of injuries," suggested Annabeth. She took out her cell phone, "Not supposed to have them here but good thing I have mine."

"Okay, you should take a pic of his head injury," Frank pointed towards the body's head. Annabeth's cell flashed.

"What else looks out of the ordinary?" Hazel asked out loud. Everyone looked closer at the body. Leo was mostly looking for more evidence that linked him. "Wait, look. His wrists have rope marks. He was probably tied up or something." _Thanks a lot Hazel._

"You're right, Hazel," Annabeth took another picture.

"This clearly wasn't suicide. I hate to say it , but we might have a murderer in camp," Reyna concluded. The room fell silent. Leo felt nervous at the sudden lack of noise. It reminded him too much of his cabin in the Argo II, being alone with just his thoughts.

"How are we catching whoever did this?" He asked. Leo couldn't let himself look like a suspect.

Frank shrugged, defeated, "Not sure yet, but we'll find the killer and hang him."

"Uh..." Leo had no words.

"It's been Roman law since Ancient Rome," Reyna explained, "Sort of like the saying 'an eye for an eye' thing. We punish criminals with the crime they committed and murder is always certain death." Leo's blood ran cold.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, just to let you know, there may or may not be another murder in the next chapter. Can you guess who it is? One clue: It's not Frank... With that I'll leave you to be totally confused about this whole situation. Au revoir! [ I'm learning French :) ] <strong>

**~Melissa L.**


	11. Hard Decisions

**Decided not to kill anyone in this chapter. Next chapter though, blood will definitely be spilled. **

**~Melissa L.**

* * *

><p>Leo couldn't handle being in the same room with the dead body anymore. He felt sick to his stomach.<p>

"It's alright, Leo. We have Will here so you can go," Annabeth reassured him. He never thought about what would happen if he got caught. It was too late to turn back now, though. Leo couldn't go back on what he'd done, but just hope that whatever happens next doesn't end badly. He gave the group a nod and left the tent.

All he had to do was get rid of the note and it would be the end of that. It wasn't that hard. As he walked towards Cabin 9, he took out the small crumpled paper. It was amusing to know that this insignificant item could ultimately ruin the whole plan, expose him and end his life if in the wrong hands, that is. Leo considered keeping it for a moment, as a trophy of sorts, but knew it would be dangerous to keep such evidence intact. Yet Leo's pride held him back, made him hesitate. He wanted something to remind him of how David's vanity had gotten him killed.

Before Leo could make up his mind, a gust of wind suddenly snatched the paper from his hand, which was barely even holding on to the flimsy material.

"Shit!" he hissed as he tried to grab for the fleeing note. No matter what, he couldn't let that paper just go. He ran after it, even though it kept distancing itself farther and farther away from the son of Hephaestus.

...

Piper was just going to go check on her friends to see if they've found anything on the body. Just thinking about it made her shiver. It seemed so surreal that she had threatened that same guy the day before he went missing only to turn out that he had died. The mere thought of someone in camp committing murder made her stomach churn, but it couldn't be possible.

She was hoping that whatever happened was just one of those tragic stories of a poor misunderstood and depressed teenager that couldn't find any reason to live and killed himself. It was a cruel thing to hope for, Piper knew that, but it would be less stressful than trying to find a killer. Either way, that's why she was going to see the others and find out for herself.

While walking to the tent, however, Piper was momentarily blinded by something that had blocked her line of vision.

"Really?" she muttered as she tore the scrap of paper from her face. She was about to throw it away, when she noticed Leo's name signed under the short message. Piper skimmed over the small message and her blood ran cold.

"Piper!" Leo yelled behind her. She whipped around and came face to face with a very tired and sweaty looking Latino. He stopped in front of her and breathed in and out a few times to catch his breath from running so much. He finally composed himself and gave her an almost forced smile, "Thanks for finding my note. It flew out of my hand and I've been chasing after it for a while now." He held his hand out, expectantly.

But Piper didn't budge as her mind started putting the pieces together. The day she'd found him in the woods, beaten up. When he told her that he'd handle everything. The mechanism of the noose and how calm he was when he helped cut the body down. Piper thought that Leo was just trying to hide his emotions or not look weak. And the pulley system thing could've been anyone that knew the basics. She remembered that they were taught about pulleys at school. But this note showed that Leo was or could've been where the body was found and it looked pretty shady, but with his weird behavior, it all clicked.

But why?

"Piper," Leo said more forcefully, "I'd like that paper back."

"Leo, what did you do?" She whispered.

"What are you talking about?" His gaze hardened. Piper wasn't sure what to do. This was her best friend. They'd risked their own lives to help each other, fought together in a war. What was she supposed to do? Leo gripped her arm and dragged her behind one of the cabins, away from the crowd of demigods. Piper was momentarily frozen.

_What am I supposed to do? _

That question swirled around her head as Leo finally let go of her and faced her with a very serious and almost demented expression. She finally snapped out of it. Noticing that they were alone, a pang of panic hit Piper and she scrambled to step back from Leo, but he clutched both her shoulders and pressed her to a nearby tree. Piper wanted to scream, but for once, she couldn't find her voice. She looked around to find that no one was near.

"I'm not going to hurt you Piper," Leo stated, but Piper didn't trust the glint of slight insanity in his eyes or the fact that being pinned against the bark of the tree that was scraping her back, which was starting to really ache. Leo didn't loosen his hold on her.

"So it was you," she wanted answers, but she also wanted to run. Piper wasn't sure what she wanted anymore at this point. The whole situation and the truth was all too intense, too bizarre, and definitely too horrifying.

"You can't tell anyone," He ordered. Why wasn't she trying to do something? Why was she just standing there like an idiot?

_This is Leo. He's never done anything to hurt you before_, the back of her head responded, _You've trusted him with your life before and you still do_. If that was true, why was Piper so scared to make a move?

"Leo, you have to confess," She barely was able to say that sentence for her throat felt like it was tightening in fear.

"I can't," He answered, "If I do, then they'll kill me."

"Frank and Reyna wouldn't," She protested. They wouldn't do that. Leo had made a mistake, yes, but death as a punishment? That sounded a little extreme.

Leo shook his head and gave a humorless laugh, "Yeah, they would. That's what they told me."

"Leo, listen, I need to think about this before anything else happens," she stated. She still wasn't sure what to do next. Go to the Praetors? Tell them about Leo and maybe try to talk them out of the death penalty? It could work, if Leo was willing to cooperate. It would certainly make things much easier.

"What is there to think about?" Leo demanded, his grip increasing on her shoulders, "If you rat me out, I'll die! What kind of friend does that?"

"Leo, what else do you want me to do? I can't have this kind of thing hanging over me," She couldn't pretend that she knew, but then again, Leo wasn't a bad guy, right? This going back and forth was so confusing. He finally let go of her, letting her slump to the ground. Her knees had buckled and Piper just couldn't support her weight. Leo knelt down and ripped the note from her clenched hand. In a matter of seconds, his hand was on fire and the evidence turned to ash.

"Then choose," he met her eyes, still cold and distant, "Are you going to save my life, or are you going to sign my death warrant?" With that, he stood up and left her shaken and more uncertain than ever.

...

Leo felt his blood boil in frustration and anger as he threw tools and blueprints in Bunker 9. Why did Piper have to read that fucking paper? Why did it have to be her to find out? Now he had her to worry about. She wanted him to confess, for Gods sakes! That wasn't an option now, though. It just wasn't, but how was he going to convince Piper to keep her mouth shut?

_You know what you have to do,_ the other Leo echoed in his head.

"No!" Leo shouted, "I can't! She's my friend."

_She's not a friend. If she was, she would've agreed to keep quiet, but instead she told you to confess and turn yourself in to die._

Piper said that she had to think before doing anything. Leo started wondering if she would hand him over to the Praetors.

"She wouldn't," Leo said.

_She would,_ mused the other Leo, _And she will if you let her live._

"But-" Leo tried to argue.

_What's more important? Her or Hazel?_

Suddenly, it became clear. Piper wouldn't keep this secret. She said it herself that she couldn't have something like that hanging over her. What was to stop her from letting them kill Leo and do the 'right thing'? Or she would slip and accidentally confess to Jason. No, it was too risky. There were to many what if's, too many variables, and too bad outcomes.

Leo decided that his secret would be safer if Piper were out of the picture. Permanently.

* * *

><p><strong>I think you can guess what's going to happen next... <strong>

**I'll just let you guess how Leo's going to do it. ****Just to clarify, Piper is very hesitant to tell on Leo because all they've been through together so that's why she's just all like "WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO?" Yeah, very hard decision if you ask me. **

**~Melissa L.**


	12. Still Looking for Answers

**I'm starting to really get into the story now. And I decided not to kill anyone per say, but I did need to take out some obvious possibilities that Leo could be discovered, but blood is literally spilled. Maybe not exactly what you expected but... **

**~Melissa L.**

* * *

><p>"Come on," Rachel squeezed her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on the Oracle. "Just let me see who did this." After learning that someone had died in the camp, she was determined to understand what had happened that night. She had succeeded in getting glimpses of the event, painted some pictures, even, but none had yet revealed who it was that had caused David's death.<p>

Rachel knew for a fact that it wasn't suicide. Last night, she had a vision where she was David and was hit in the head by something heavy. The pain fueled as she felt the fear spread all over her body, trying hard to concentrate in not losing consciousness for the fear that she might not wake up again. Then she'd heard a muffled voice, but couldn't make out the words or the pitch of the person talking. The vision ended abruptly when Rachel felt the cord tug her upwards.

Then she snapped back to the present. There were so many questions swarming in her head, but Rachel wasn't sure what to think. And why wouldn't the Oracle let her see the whole picture?

...

Octavian was grudgingly tearing the bowels of another stuffed bear in his hands. Reyna had instructed him to try to find an answer to the murder. He didn't really care much for the pathetic Greek that was killed. In fact, he didn't care much for almost anyone, but he couldn't disobey the Praetor again. He was already on probation for leading the Romans to Camp Half-Blood after Reyna had set out on her crazy mission.

He looked closely at the stuffing on the floor, trying to make a picture out of it, but all he got was what everyone already knew. A noose, a boar's head (since it was a son of Ares), and something else. It looked like a hammer, but what did that tool have anything to do with anything? Octavian wasn't sure what to think of. Maybe it was a symbol for another that was involved in the killing.

_A hammer, huh? Isn't that a symbol of Hephaestus?_ Octavian smirked. He tried again, using a stuffed care bear this time. The stuffing shifted._ Was that fire surrounding the picture?_

...

_I don't know what to do. Leo was the one that killed David. He's the murderer. He told me. I know I'll have to tell people what happened soon enough but I can't help but lose my nerve at the last second. Leo said he wouldn't hurt me, or was that just a ploy to get me to let my guard down? I'm not sure. I can't separate instincts from fear. I can't tell if my mind is telling me to not trust him or if it's the fear that is consuming my ability to think properly. Am I really that afraid that Leo will try to kill me? No, I shouldn't think that way. We've known each other far too long and been through too much for him to just decide to kill me. Or is the fear I feel my instincts itself? I think that maybe it would be best if he faces the consequences and I'll try to protect him the best I can, but I don't know when to take the first step. -Piper_

Piper closed the journal in her lap and slid it under her bed. She hadn't been able to get a good night sleep ever since the day she found out about Leo. It had been three days since the encounter with her friend, if she could even allow herself to call him that anymore. She knew she had been acting strangely after what happened. Jason had pointed it out.

"You look so tense," he said, "Is everything alright?"

Piper so badly wanted to just pour her heart out to him and explain everything but she couldn't bring herself to it. The fear had resurfaced and as shameful as she felt for keeping such a dark secret, she put on her best smile and nodded, "Everything's fine. I just haven't been getting enough sleep. That's all." She could tell that Jason was still worried but he didn't try to pry. Piper wasn't sure if she was disappointed or grateful that he wasn't being stubborn.

Hazel had also noticed Piper's strange behavior.

"You can always write your thoughts down in a journal or something," she suggested, "I'm sure it'll help." That's why she was writing in the first place. Hopefully that would let her catch up on her sleep.

...

"Have you noticed how weird Piper is being?" Jason asked. Nico was ignoring him, as always. The blond had decided to hang out with him since Piper was keeping her distance. Besides, he thought Nico needed the company, although the son of Hades liked to pretend he was invisible. Today, however, as he passed Cabin thirteen, Jason noticed Nico on the roof and an idea had popped into his head. He didn't want to sound like he just wanted Nico to do him a favor so he tried small talk, which was not working as well as he'd expected.

As he flopped down next to the younger boy, Nico immediately tensed. "What do you want, Grace?"

"I just wanted to say hi," Jason answered.

"Go away."

Jason held his hands up in surrender, "Hey, I come in peace, but seriously, how are you?" He got no response. Then he'd asked about Piper, at which Nico glared at him.

"How am I supposed to know? She's not my friend."

"Sorry, but it was worth a try." Jason decided to change topics, "Look, I was wondering if you know anything about what happened."

"Are you accusing me?" He growled. Jason was taken by surprise at the sudden aggressive tone.

"Of course not!" He quickly reassured, making sure to sound firm, but calm, never breaking eye contact until Nico seemed more relaxed and finally looked away.

"No, actually. I don't." Jason slumped his shoulders. He'd hoped that Nico had an answer. Then hope filled his heart again as another idea emerged.

"You can talk to spirits, right? Maybe you can summon David's and-"

"I can't," Nico interrupted. "It's just chaos in the Underworld right now because of Gaea and my Father warned me not to try to summon any spirits until he got things under control."

"Okay then there should be something else we can do," Jason had to remain optimistic. There had to be something. "Oh, I know. Rachel might know something! She's the Oracle."

"Good luck with that," Nico muttered.

"You can come if you want to," Jason offered, but Nico shook his head. "Got more important things to do?"

"If I go, will you leave me alone afterwards?"

"Sure, I'll leave you alone the rest of the day." He received a scowl but no protest so he took it as a 'go for it'.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Rachel sulked.<p>

"But you're the Oracle!" Jason exclaimed. Rachel sat down on her couch and rubbed her temples. Jason was sure they'd get answers here, but apparently the fates were not helping.

"Are you sure you've tried enough times?" Nico asked.

"Of course I have! But it's like the Oracle is purposely blocking the killer's face! I don't know why," she seemed very frustrated and on the verge of finally cracking.

"Okay, don't worry, Rach. We can figure something else out." Jason tried to calm her down.

"Well, you could always go talk to Octavian," Rachel suggested, "Maybe he's found something." Jason made a sour face. Asking Octavian for help? That was somewhere on the top of the list he liked to call "Things I Hope I Never Have To Do".

Rachel noticed his expression, "It might be your last shot at getting new information, and as much as it pains me to say it, Octavian is able to see things too." Great, won't that scarecrow get a good laugh when _Jason_ shows up and asks for _his_ help.

...

How satisfying it was to watch Grace hold in his disgust when he approached the Aurgur. Octavian couldn't help but smirk through Jason's struggled request. Of course they couldn't know that he knew something important. He wanted to make sure first if he could get anything out of it.

"Why don't you talk to your 'Oracle'?" He asked after hearing the son of Jupiter.

"Trust me, I wouldn't be here if she'd been able to see who the killer was, but for some Godsdamn reason, she can't see anything so I had to, very reluctantly come here." So their so called Oracle couldn't see something he could? That made his smile grow wider, but at the back of his head, he wondered why.

"Sorry to disappoint," Octavian said sarcastically, "But unfortunately, Reyna had me look into your little predicament and also came up empty handed." The good thing about being him was that Octavian was a great actor. Lying was so easy to him. It was amusing to see the look of disappointment on the ex-praetor's face.

Jason finally composed himself and started walking out the door, "Okay, thanks for nothing. Let's go, Nico." The pair walked out. Joy filled Octavian as he cherished the thought of actually proving that he really was better than Rachel Dare, but his logic came in to ruin the whole thing.

_Why wasn't she able to see it? What would happen if Rachel had that kind of information?_

Octavian pushed those thoughts aside. There was no time to be thinking about that. For now, he needed to pay a visit to a certain son of Hephaestus. Curious to see if he could find anything else, he reached for yet another plush toy to sacrifice, but he was so distracted by his thoughts that he accidentally cut too close to his hand.

"Ow," he dropped the fabric and dagger on the floor, trying to stop the bleeding. He examined his finger and sighed with relief, knowing that it wasn't severe, but still left droplets of blood mixed in with the fake innards of the stuffed animal that was thrown aside. He didn't notice the picture in the stuffing of a cliff and a figure falling halfway down, soiled by Octavian's blood, while another figure stood at the top.

Octavian didn't get a chance to see because he decided to clean up the mess rather than examine the picture, other things occupying his mind at the moment.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, explanation time!<strong>

**The Oracle: The Oracle doesn't want to show Rachel who the killer is because she might become a potential victim, so it's sort of for protection. Too much of a good thing is bad, right? I'm sure it applies to knowledge as well.**

**Nico: Summoning David's spirit and getting the answers that way would be so much simpler, but it'll also end the story that way so coincidentally (For Leo anyway). So because of Gaea and the Doors of Death, Hades is trying to get things under control and would appreciate it if Nico didn't try to open any portals to the world of the living until further notice.**

**The Aurgur: Let's be honest, Octavian doesn't give fuck about a Greek's death so it doesn't really phase him. Now, I assume that he takes opportunities to make sure that he always get something in return and having one of the seven under his thumb is tempting, but that's just me. **

**~Melissa L.**


	13. False Accusations & a Deadly Prophecy

"...so there's no way of using the prophets in any way to help with the investigation and Nico can't contact the dead any time soon either. We're on our own," Jason sadly reported. Piper felt her stomach drop at the discovery. Now it really had to be her that had to tell them what she knew, but not now, not here. She glanced at Leo, who was at the other side of the room, listening intently at what Jason was saying. He caught her staring and Piper quickly tore her eyes away from him. No matter how many times she reminded herself that there was nothing to worry about, every fiber in her body told her to run and hide.

"Great," Reyna muttered, "Well, it seems that we'll have to try harder to solve this now. We can't let anyone out of camp because we can't let the murderer escape."

"But there are innocent people's lives at stake, Reyna!" Percy protested.

"Don't you think I know that!" She growled, "All we can do is take extra precautions. No one is allowed to sneak out from any activity or class unless they are instructed to go somewhere else. There will be a curfew at 7 pm. Anyone caught outside of there homes will be interrogated about any suspicious activity. Furthermore, anyone who has any clue or witnessed anything that seemed shady is strongly advised to come talk to either me or Frank." No one argued with her. Piper could feel Leo look at her, but she refused to make eye contact again, instead, choosing to stare at the floor.

"Well, as fun as that sounds," Leo spoke up, "I'm going to go see Rachel. Maybe I can help her." Piper couldn't help but shudder at the seemingly innocent suggestion.

"How would you be able to help, Leo? No offence," Frank asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure that I can try. Everything is fixable. Maybe I can create some kind of machine that can let me speak to the Oracle personally or something."

"Fine," Reyna answered, "Meanwhile, I have to make a few announcements." She stood up from her seat at the table and exited the Big House.

"I should go help her," Frank blurted out and proceeded to follow his co-praetor. For a second, Piper almost called him back, but he was gone.

"Better get going," Leo got up and started to walk to the door.

"I'll come with you!" Piper shot up from her seat, "In case you need help." She could see through that elfish grin that he was boiling with anger, but she couldn't let him out of her sight.

"That's alright, Pipes, I can take care of it." He insisted.

"Actually, Piper's right," Hazel piped up, "You might need help." Piper was about to thank her when she added, "I'll go with you."

"But-" the daughter of Aphrodite tried to protest.

"Hazel should go with Leo," Jason agreed, "Besides, me and Percy need you to interrogate some people." Piper couldn't think of anything to argue with them.

...

As much as Leo loved her company, Hazel coming with him was not a good idea. He wanted to go alone to see if the Oracle would react to his presence and maybe find a way to make a contraption to wipe Rachel's mind clean. Yet, it was nice to have her by his side, their hands once in a while brushing past each other.

"You don't have to come," Leo told her.

"It's really no big deal. Besides," she hesitated before continuing, "I wanted to ask you...about Piper." Leo stuffed his hands in his pockets, afraid that they'd catch on fire.

"What about her?" he asked, cautiously. If Piper had said anything that would make people suspect...

"Don't you think that she's been acting kinda strange?"

He shrugged, "Haven't talked to her recently. You know, with the whole dead body and everything, it's hard to spend time with friends."

"That's true." She agreed, "Still. I tried to speak with her and find out what was wrong, but she wouldn't budge so I told her that whatever was bothering her, she should write it down. I'm not sure why, but it helps. I gave her a notebook I had."

"Really?" Leo had become interested, but had to keep his cool. "So she didn't say anything?"

"Nope. Do you know what's bothering her?" Leo had to keep from smiling. _Yes, actually_, he thought, _I do_, but he didn't say that.

"Who knows, maybe she did it," he muttered. He didn't think that Hazel had heard that, but she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Leo looked back at her.

"Don't say stuff like that!" She scolded, "Piper's our friend. She would never do that!"

"Sorry, but if we have to be honest," Leo ventured on, "It would explain why she had been acting strangely. We can't cross people out of the suspect list just because you think you know them." A plan had started hatching in his mind. Just planting a seed of suspicion into the mind of others was an easy way to become a chaotic mess.

"But why would she even think to..." Hazel shook her head, "This is absurd! We're not going to start pointing fingers at people just because they are acting a bit strange." He nodded, but he could tell that she was hesitant and confused. He hid a smile before she could notice and before they knew it, they were standing outside of the Oracle's cave.

"Damn it!" Leo hissed.

"What's wrong?"

"I knew I forgot something," he pretended to be frustrated. He needed Hazel out of here so that he could continue with his plan, "Haze, could you do me a favor and go to the Hephaestus cabin to get my holographic projector. I'm going to need it if I'm going to try to contact the Oracle so that we can get a picture."

Leo saw that she had no idea what he was talking about but she nodded, "Okay. I'll ask Jake about that." And with that, she ran back towards the cabins. It was the perfect opportunity to quickly erase any memory from Rachel. Just a little while ago, he had paid a little visit to cabin 15, the Hypnos cabin. It was easy to slip in and out undetected, carrying a few droplets of the water from the river Lethe, which, coincidentally, wiped away your memories permanently.

It wasn't anything personal. Leo actually liked Rachel, but it was for a good cause and sacrifices had to be made. He opened the door slowly, making his way silently into the interior. The cave was sort of an underground apartment. Inside, there was a living room. There were three sofas surrounding a coffee table, which was infested with small decorations and homemade ornaments.

Leo had been here before and he knew that just down the hall was Rachel's room. It could only be described as colorful chaos. Paintings littered the floors and walls. Any free space that wasn't covered by canvases, were painted over in other drawings and symbols. In the middle was a large bed, untidy and just as full of color as the rest of the room. Small tables were scattered around, holding boxes of paints, crayons, markers, you name it. The fiery redhead herself was soundly sleeping on the bed and Leo couldn't think that this could be more perfect.

He took out the small bottle holding the memory-erasing liquid inside, uncapping it. Leo made his way to the edge of the bed with extreme caution, hoping not to disturb her. When he was just about to place the bottle over her freckled face, she suddenly jerked up, the sickly green mist surrounding her, her eyes hollow and disturbingly bright. A force jerked Leo back a few feet, landing on a table and breaking the items on it. The bottle flew out of his hands and the water spilled on the carpet.

Leo didn't have time to worry about that, though. Right now, he had to deal with a pissed of Oracle and she didn't look like she was very happy with Leo sneaking up on her, trying to take away her hostess' memories, and waking her up in the process. He didn't speak, frozen on the floor, waiting for something to happen. Then the oracle spoke in that distant and echoing voice that seemed to encircle Leo like the mist.

_Beware Child of Fire.  
><em>_If you succeed in your own desire,  
><em>_Many tragedies to mourn,  
><em>_Deaths of the innocent, Maybe your own.  
><em>_Stop now, it's not too late to tell,  
><em>_Lest you want to spend the rest of your afterlife in Hell._

After she had spoken the last word, she fell back onto the bed, as if she hadn't risen. Leo didn't move for a moment, too stunned at the prophesy that the Oracle had given him. Anger fueled his heart as he shakily stood up. After all that had happened, he wasn't going to stop just because some thousand year old spirit was trying to scare him off. The plan was already in motion and there was no way to stop it. He looked at the mess that he'd made from the crash and saw that his clothes had been stained with the colors of the rainbow. It was going to be difficult to explain, but Leo already had an excuse. He wasn't going to give up so easily. Besides, he was always one step ahead of everyone else.

* * *

><p><strong>I've been out for a while and inspiration just came to me and I had to write this down. Recently, it's become difficult to get inspiration, but I'm trying to update as much as I can. Anyway, have to go write the next chapter of how Leo's going to commit more murder or him getting caught or...well, I'll leave it to your imagination for now.<strong>

**~Melissa L.**


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